{{GovLgov}}{{TOCnestright}}The '''Governor of the State of North Carolina''' is an elected Constitutional officer, the head of the Executive branch, and the highest state office in [[North Carolina]]. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

}}{{TOCnestright}}The '''Governor of the State of North Carolina''' is an elected Constitutional officer, the head of the Executive branch, and the highest state office in [[North Carolina]]. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

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{{State trifecta status|state=North Carolina|control=Republican}}

==Current officer==

==Current officer==

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The 74th and current governor is [[Pat McCrory]] (R). McCrory defeated [[Walter Dalton]] (D) in the [[State executive official elections, 2012|November 6, 2012 general election]]. He [[Swearing-in dates of state legislators elected on November 6, 2012|assumed office]] on January 5, 2013.<ref> [http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/261933/57/Pat-McCrory-To-Be-Sworn-In-As-NC-Governor ''DigTriad,'' "Pat McCrory Sworn In As NC Governor Saturday," January 6, 2013]</ref>

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The current officeholder is [[Beverly Perdue]].

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==Authority==

==Authority==

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==Requirements==

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The [[North Carolina Constitution|state Constitution]] addresses the office of the governor in [[Article III, North Carolina Constitution|Article III, the Executive Department]].

Additionally, no Governor-elect may take office until she has taken an oath before the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

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==Elections==

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[[North Carolina]] elects governors in the Presidential elections, that is, in leap years. For North Carolina, 2004, 2008, [[North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2012|2012]], and 2016 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first day in the January following an election. Thus, January 1, 2013 and January 1, 2017 are inaugural days.

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===2012===

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:''See also: [[North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2012]]''

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[[Bev Perdue]] (D) did not run for re-election. [[Pat McCrory]] (R) defeated [[Walter Dalton]] (D) in the [[State executive official elections, 2012|November 6, 2012 general election]].

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{{NCGeneralGov2012Results}}

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===Term limits===

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:: ''See also: [[States with gubernatorial term limits]]''

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North Carolina governors are restricted to two consecutive terms in office, after which they must wait one term before being eligible to run again.

The Lieutenant Governor-elect takes office as the Governor is the Governor-elect fails to qualify. The [[Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina|Lieutenant Governor]] also takes over as Governor any time the sitting governor dies, resign, or is removed from office.

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If the Governor is absent or unable to discharge the office due to mental or physical illness, the Lieutenant Governor becomes the Acting Governor.

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If the Governor wishes to declare his temporary or permanent inability to discharge the office, he does so in writing be making a declaration to the [[Attorney General of North Carolina|Attorney General]]. The Governor may also resume his office by making a similar written declaration to the Attorney General.

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The [[North Carolina State Legislature|General Assembly]] may take a vote and declare, by a two-thirds majority of both chambers, that the Governor is unfit for the office by reason of mental incapacity. The legislature shall then give the Governor notice and hear the case before a joint session. When the legislature is in recess, the General Council may convene for the same purpose and follow the same procedure.

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Removing the Governor from office for any other reason must be done as an impeachment.

==Duties==

==Duties==

{{ncseal}}

{{ncseal}}

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Excepting the Governor's use of the State Seal of North Carolina and the gubernatorial power to make vacancy appointments, all Constitutional duties are laid out in [[Article III, North Carolina Constitution#Section 5|Article III, Section 5]].

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The [[governor]] heads the Council of State. The governor is responsible for preparing and presenting the [[Sunshinereview:North_Carolina_state_budget|state budget]] to the [[General Assembly of North Carolina]]. Additionally,the governor of North Carolina has extensive powers of appointment of executive branch officials, some judges, and members of boards and commissions. The governor serves as Commander in Chief of the state military forces except when they are called into the service of the United States.

The [[governor]] heads the Council of State. The governor is responsible for preparing and presenting the [[Sunshinereview:North_Carolina_state_budget|state budget]] to the [[General Assembly of North Carolina]]. Additionally,the governor of North Carolina has extensive powers of appointment of executive branch officials, some judges, and members of boards and commissions. The governor serves as Commander in Chief of the state military forces except when they are called into the service of the United States.

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Other duties and privileges of the office include:

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* Residing at the official residence of the Governor

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* Making a periodic address to the state legislature concerning the state of North Carolina and giving recommendation to the legislature

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* Regularly monitoring the state budget to ensure that principal and interest on bonds and notes are paid promptly, and "effect[ing] the necessary economies" if revenue will not be sufficient to meet expenditures

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* Granting reprieves, commutations, and pardons, not including convictions for impeachment

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* Convening extraordinary session of the state legislature

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* Nominating and, with consent of the [[North Carolina State Senate|Senate]], appointing all offices not otherwise provided for

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* Requiring written information from the head of any administrative department of office on the state of the office

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* Reorganizing the executive branch by making " such changes in the allocation of offices and agencies and in the allocation of those functions, powers, and duties as he considers necessary for efficient administration"

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* Reconvening the regular session of the General Assembly, not more than 40 days after ''sine die'', for the sole purpose of considering bills returned by the Governor to the Assembly

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* Keeping and using "The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina" and signing all commissions granted by the state of North Carolina (§ 10)

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* Making vacancy appointments to all other Executive offices established by the Constitution, including making Interim and Acting appointments when the elected officeholders absence or disability is not permanent (§ 7)

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==Divisions==

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{{SEO divisions missing}}

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==State budget==

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The budget for the Governor's office in Fiscal Year 2013 was $5,438,279.<ref> [http://www.osbm.state.nc.us/files/pdf_files/2011PLS_rev.pdf ''North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management,'' "2011-2013 Post Legislative Budget Summary," accessed April 13, 2013] </ref>

==Compensation==

==Compensation==

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::''See also: [[Comparison of gubernatorial salaries]] and [[Compensation of state executive officers]]''

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:: ''See also: [[Comparison of gubernatorial salaries]] and [[Compensation of state executive officers]]''

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The Governor's salary is fixed by law and may not be increased or diminished effective during the current term.

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===2013===

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In 2013, the governor's salary was increased to $141,265.<ref>[http://knowledgecenter.csg.org/drupal/content/csg-releases-2013-governor-salaries ''Council of State Governments,'' "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries," June 25, 2013]</ref>

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===2012===

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In 2012, the governor was paid an estimated [[Compensation of state executive officers|$139,590]]. This figure comes from the [[Council of State Governments]].

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===2010===

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In 2010, the Governor of North Carolina was paid [http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/North_Carolina_state_government_salary $139,590 a year], the 20th highest gubernatorial salary in America.

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==Historical officeholders==

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There have been 74 governors of North Carolina since 1776. Of the 74 officeholders, 38 were Democratic, 12 Democratic-Republican, 8 Republican, 5 Federalists, 5 Whigs, 4 with no party, and 2 Anti-Federalists.<ref>[http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_north_carolina.default.html?begin269e33fa-6813-4ec8-b762-0b8c0dce0d3a=0&&pagesize269e33fa-6813-4ec8-b762-0b8c0dce0d3a=100 ''National Governors Association,'' " Former governors of North Carolina," accessed June 21, 2013] </ref>

From 1992-2013, in North Carolina there were Democratic governors in office for 20 years while there were Republican governors in office the two years, including the final year (2013). North Carolina is one of seven states that were run by a Democratic governor for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. North Carolina was under a Republican [[trifecta]] for the final year of the study period.

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Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992-2013.

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Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

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The chart below shows the partisan composition of the [[Governor of North Carolina|Office of the Governor of North Carolina]], the [[North Carolina State Senate]] and the [[North Carolina House of Representatives]] from 1992-2013.

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[[File:Partisan composition of North Carolina state government(1992-2013).PNG]]

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==Recent news==

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This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term '''"North Carolina" + Governor'''

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:''All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.''

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<rss>http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&gl=us&q="North+Carolina"+Governor&um=1&ie=UTF-8&output=rss|template=slpfeed|max=10|title=Governor of North Carolina News Feed</rss>

==Contact information==

==Contact information==

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==External links==

==External links==

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{{seosubmit}}

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*[http://www.governor.state.nc.us/ ''Office of the North Carolina Governor'']

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*[http://www.governor.state.nc.us/ Office of the North Carolina Governor]

The Governor of the State of North Carolina is an elected Constitutional officer, the head of the Executive branch, and the highest state office in North Carolina. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

Additionally, no Governor-elect may take office until she has taken an oath before the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Elections

North Carolina elects governors in the Presidential elections, that is, in leap years. For North Carolina, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first day in the January following an election. Thus, January 1, 2013 and January 1, 2017 are inaugural days.

Vacancies

The Lieutenant Governor-elect takes office as the Governor is the Governor-elect fails to qualify. The Lieutenant Governor also takes over as Governor any time the sitting governor dies, resign, or is removed from office.

If the Governor is absent or unable to discharge the office due to mental or physical illness, the Lieutenant Governor becomes the Acting Governor.

If the Governor wishes to declare his temporary or permanent inability to discharge the office, he does so in writing be making a declaration to the Attorney General. The Governor may also resume his office by making a similar written declaration to the Attorney General.

The General Assembly may take a vote and declare, by a two-thirds majority of both chambers, that the Governor is unfit for the office by reason of mental incapacity. The legislature shall then give the Governor notice and hear the case before a joint session. When the legislature is in recess, the General Council may convene for the same purpose and follow the same procedure.

Removing the Governor from office for any other reason must be done as an impeachment.

Duties

Excepting the Governor's use of the State Seal of North Carolina and the gubernatorial power to make vacancy appointments, all Constitutional duties are laid out in Article III, Section 5.

The governor heads the Council of State. The governor is responsible for preparing and presenting the state budget to the General Assembly of North Carolina. Additionally,the governor of North Carolina has extensive powers of appointment of executive branch officials, some judges, and members of boards and commissions. The governor serves as Commander in Chief of the state military forces except when they are called into the service of the United States.

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

Residing at the official residence of the Governor

Making a periodic address to the state legislature concerning the state of North Carolina and giving recommendation to the legislature

Regularly monitoring the state budget to ensure that principal and interest on bonds and notes are paid promptly, and "effect[ing] the necessary economies" if revenue will not be sufficient to meet expenditures

Granting reprieves, commutations, and pardons, not including convictions for impeachment

Convening extraordinary session of the state legislature

Nominating and, with consent of the Senate, appointing all offices not otherwise provided for

Requiring written information from the head of any administrative department of office on the state of the office

Reorganizing the executive branch by making " such changes in the allocation of offices and agencies and in the allocation of those functions, powers, and duties as he considers necessary for efficient administration"

Reconvening the regular session of the General Assembly, not more than 40 days after sine die, for the sole purpose of considering bills returned by the Governor to the Assembly

Keeping and using "The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina" and signing all commissions granted by the state of North Carolina (§ 10)

Making vacancy appointments to all other Executive offices established by the Constitution, including making Interim and Acting appointments when the elected officeholders absence or disability is not permanent (§ 7)

Divisions

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of North Carolina has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

State budget

The budget for the Governor's office in Fiscal Year 2013 was $5,438,279.[2]

2013

2012

2010

In 2010, the Governor of North Carolina was paid $139,590 a year, the 20th highest gubernatorial salary in America.

Historical officeholders

There have been 74 governors of North Carolina since 1776. Of the 74 officeholders, 38 were Democratic, 12 Democratic-Republican, 8 Republican, 5 Federalists, 5 Whigs, 4 with no party, and 2 Anti-Federalists.[4]

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

From 1992-2013, in North Carolina there were Democratic governors in office for 20 years while there were Republican governors in office the two years, including the final year (2013). North Carolina is one of seven states that were run by a Democratic governor for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. North Carolina was under a Republican trifecta for the final year of the study period.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992-2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.